Director, Engineering, Proactive Offense

Horizon3 AI

4d • $240,000 - $285,000 • Remote

About The Position

As Director of Software Engineering – Offensive Security, you’ll lead the strategy, design, and development of NodeZero’s offensive capabilities, driving innovation in autonomous attack content, exploit development, and platform scalability. You’ll manage multiple engineering teams, balancing deep technical expertise with product and organizational leadership.
This role sits above our offensive engineering leaders and pods (Attack Engineering) and will play a key role in scaling the offensive product organization as we continue to expand NodeZero’s reach and sophistication.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading and scaling engineering teams in offensive or cybersecurity product development, ideally within a fast-paced startup or growth-stage environment.
• Strong technical background in software development and system architecture, with hands-on experience in offensive security domains such as exploit development, vulnerability research, attack automation, or red teaming.
• Demonstrated success taking offensive capabilities or SaaS products from concept to market, including driving POCs, MVPs, and production launches.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, automation pipelines, and large-scale SaaS platforms, with the ability to guide architectural and design decisions.
• A product-oriented mindset, skilled at balancing technical excellence, customer impact, and speed to market.
• Exceptional leadership and collaboration skills—experienced in managing managers, aligning cross-functional teams, and partnering effectively with Product and GTM stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and storytelling abilities—capable of translating complex offensive engineering concepts into clear, actionable direction.
• High degree of initiative and ownership; creative, detail-oriented, and results-driven.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Deep expertise in offensive security techniques, frameworks, and tooling (e.g. Metasploit, Cobalt Strike, Sliver, or custom exploit frameworks).
• Proficiency in at least one modern object-oriented programming language such as Python, Go, C++, or C#, with experience building and maintaining large-scale software systems.
• Strong understanding of vulnerability research, exploit development, and post-exploitation automation, with the ability to translate offensive tradecraft into scalable product capabilities.
• Solid grasp of platform design, system architecture, and automation pipelines, including CI/CD, containerization, and infrastructure-as-code principles.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and services (AWS, Azure, GCP), as well as modern DevOps and observability practices.
• Deep familiarity with network protocols, multiple operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS, Kali, Ubuntu), and common enterprise technologies.
• Hands-on experience building or leading engineering for B2B SaaS or security platforms, ideally within a cyber or offensive security company.
• Working knowledge of databases (PostgreSQL, Neo4j, or similar) and data flow design.
• Awareness of cybersecurity industry standards and trends, with an ability to bridge technical and product perspectives.

Nice To Haves

• Offensive security certifications such as OSCP, OSEP, OSED, or GPEN.
• Experience mentoring teams on offensive tradecraft or developing proprietary offensive tooling.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale Horizon3.ai’s Offensive Engineering organization, overseeing teams responsible for exploit development, offensive content, and attack automation within the NodeZero platform. Set clear technical and product direction for how NodeZero identifies, exploits, and validates vulnerabilities across large, complex environments.
• Partner closely with Product, Precision Defense, and Platform teams to define and deliver offensive capabilities that directly influence the roadmap and enhance customer outcomes. Drive execution from proof-of-concept through production-transforming cutting-edge attack research into scalable, productized features.
• Stay hands-on enough to guide architectural decisions and evaluate complex exploit and automation approaches. Mentor technical leads in building resilient, modular systems that power NodeZero’s offensive testing engine.
• Build, mentor, and scale diverse teams of software engineers, exploit developers, and offensive researchers.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, creativity, and engineering excellence that bridges traditional offensive and product software development.
• Collaborate across engineering, product, and GTM teams to align offensive innovation with business priorities, and ensure delivery of measurable, impactful capabilities for customers.

Benefits

• Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
• Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities.
• Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Remote Work: We are a 100% remote company. Enjoy the flexibility to work in the way that supports you and brings out your best.
• Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary, equity and benefits. Our benefits include health, vision & dental insurance for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees